Digital jukebox device with improved user interfaces, and associated methods

ABSTRACT

An improved jukebox user interface that includes standard and simplified interface screens is provided. A home screen includes control elements arranged along a first axis. At least a first one of these elements displays a search screen, at least a second one displays a curated list of songs and/or artists via a first selection screen, and at least a third one displays a curated list of curated lists of songs via a second selection screen. The home screen also includes user-selectable song objects arrangeable along a second axis generally perpendicular to the first axis; user-selectable song list objects arrangeable along a third axis generally parallel to the second axis; and a status area extending along a peripheral edge thereof. Some/all standard interface screens include the control elements of the home screen in a position that is common across all such screens, but the simplified interface screens lack them.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 61/920,688filed Dec. 24, 2013, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated herein by reference.

This application incorporates by reference the entire contents of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/833,173 filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is acontinuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/621,922 filedSep. 18, 2012, which claims the benefit of Provisional Application Nos.61/584,750 filed Jan. 9, 2012 and 61/536,015 filed Sep. 18, 2011.

This application also incorporates by reference the entire contents ofU.S. application Ser. No. 13/138,660 filed Mar. 5, 2012, which is aNational Stage Application of International Application No.PCT/US2010/000799 filed Mar. 17, 2010, which claims the benefit ofProvisional Application No. 61/202,617 filed Mar. 18, 2009.

This application also incorporates by reference the entire contents ofU.S. application Ser. No. 12/929,466 filed Jan. 26, 2011, which claimsthe benefit of Provisional Application Nos. 61/431,036 filed Jan. 9,2011 and 61/298,509 filed Jan. 26, 2010.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to entertainment systems and, moreparticularly, certain exemplary embodiments relate to jukebox systemsthat incorporate digital downloading jukebox features and improved userinterfaces.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

Jukeboxes have been around for decades and provide users with theability to select desired music for reproduction in a convenient andadvantageous manner. Jukeboxes conventionally have been provided incommercial establishments, such as restaurants and bars, in order toprovide desired music on demand for patrons thereof for a fee. Over thelast several years, a new generation of jukebox devices have becomeavailable that provide significant improvements in the operation thereoffor all parties involved. More specifically, the conventional standalonephonorecord and CD jukeboxes are being replaced by digital downloadingjukeboxes that are controlled by and communicate with a central server.An example of this new generation jukebox system is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 6,308,204, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference. A leading provider of this new generation of jukebox systemsis TouchTunes Music Corporation.

FIG. 1 shows an overview of an exemplary embodiment of a digitaldownloading jukebox system 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the jukebox system 10includes a central server 12 that contains a master library of audiocontent (typically music), as well as or alternatively audiovisualcontent (typically music and associated video or graphics), that can bedownloaded therefrom. The jukebox system also includes a series ofremote jukebox devices 16, 16 a-16 f. Each of these jukebox devices aregenerally located in a bar, restaurant, club, or other desired location,and are operable to play music (e.g., from a suitable storage locationsuch as, for example, from a local server, a central and potentiallyremote server, from local storage, etc.) in response to receiving apayment from a user, such as coins, bills, credit/debit card, etc., andhaving one or more songs selected by the user for play. In analternative embodiment, a music service is paid for on a subscriptionbasis by the location, and the selected music is free for the end-user.The jukebox device 16 typically includes a screen 18 that presentsinformation to the user and allows the user to select songs therefrom,as well as an audio system 20 that plays the selected songs. The screen18 may also be used for displaying song-related video or graphics. Thescreen 18 may also be used to display advertisements for the jukeboxitself in order to attract customers thereto, to display other types ofadvertisements, and/or to display any other desired information.

The jukebox devices 16 (sometimes referred to herein as simply“jukeboxes”) are operable to communicate with the central server 12through a communications network 14, such as, for example, the Internet.The jukeboxes 16 periodically communicate with the server 12 in order toprovide information to the server 12 regarding the specific songs thathave been played on the jukebox. The central server then uses thisinformation in order to determine the appropriate royalties and/or otherpayments that are owed for songs played on each jukebox. Thus, oneadvantage of this new generation of jukeboxes is that the soundreproduction and/or other applicable music rights can be adhered to in amore accurate and reliable manner, thereby assuring the proper royaltiesare paid to the artists or music owners. The central server 12 can alsoprovide new songs to the jukebox 16 in order to assure that theappropriate or most popular songs are maintained on the jukebox based onthe specific customers at that location. Thus, the songs available oneach jukebox can be customized through communication with the centralserver in order to provide the songs and/or types of music thatcustomers generally request at each jukebox location. As described inU.S. Pat. No. 6,308,204, for example, the central server can alsoadvantageously be used to update the operating software on the jukeboxesin order to, for instance, change the operation of the jukebox, such asto provide new or improved features. Thus, another advantage of this newgeneration of jukeboxes is that the songs (or other audio and/or visualcontent), and the operation of the jukebox itself can be remotelychanged as desired without the need to have someone (such as a routeman)personally service the jukebox. Instead, such updates can be done usingthe central server 12.

As indicated above, the jukebox devices 16 each include a mass storagedevice, such as a hard drive, which stores the songs and associatedvideo/graphics data (if any), as well as any other desired graphicalinformation for reproduction on the jukebox. The mass storage device ofthe jukebox typically has limited storage capacity relative to thestorage device of the central server 12. As a result, only a fraction ofthe songs stored on the central server are typically stored on the massstorage device of the jukebox at any one time. There may be otherreasons as well, such as for security of the data or limited room in thejukebox itself, for having limited storage capacity on the jukeboxand/or limiting the number of songs stored thereon. For example,physical space may be limited on wall-mount jukeboxes or the like, whichare designed to be small in size as compared to free-standing models. Asexplained above, the songs on the jukebox can be changed throughcommunication with the central server, but typically any one jukeboxonly stores a relatively small subset of the complete library of songsmaintained by the central server at any one time.

In order to increase the revenue that a jukebox generates, making themost desired or popular songs available on the jukebox over time may beseen as an advantage. If customers cannot find songs they like on thejukebox, usage of the jukebox (and the revenue generated thereby) candecrease. On the other hand, it is not always possible to predict inadvance exactly what a customer at any particular location will desireto play on the jukebox. In fact, there are likely many instances where acustomer would have selected a song that exists on the central serverbut is not currently present on the jukebox. As a result, the jukeboxmay not be enjoyed and used to its fullest extent. In order to addressthis problem and increase revenue, jukebox systems have in the pastprovided a feature that enables the user to search for songs on thecentral server from the jukebox and request an immediate download of adesired song from the central server to the jukebox for an additionalfee. This feature enables the user to play any song in the masterlibrary of songs maintained by the central server using the jukebox,regardless of whether or not the specific song is presently stored inthe mass storage of the jukebox itself. Thus, the user can first lookfor desired songs on the local storage of the jukebox and then, ifdesired, search further on the central server for desired songs (e.g.,in connection with search functionality, potentially accessible byselecting a central server search function button on the screen). Thejukebox device typically charges an additional fee (such as five creditsinstead on one credit) for an immediate download and play of a song fromthe central server as opposed to a standard play directly from thejukebox's local storage.

As might be discerned from the above, the “conventional wisdom” is toattempt to maximize revenues and ensure a broad-based appeal byproviding more and more media offerings or songs via a jukebox. In otherwords, the conventional wisdom and industry thinking is to makeavailable as many media offerings or songs as possible via a jukebox sothat the one jukebox will be appropriate for any venue. The theory isbased in part on the common perception that it is easier to develop asingle, standard jukebox with as many offerings as possible, than toprovide multiple different jukeboxes each making available a differentset of limited media content. This common understanding, in turn, mayhave its roots in the fact that conventional, non-digital jukeboxesclearly had severely limited repertoires and that even many earlydigital jukeboxes has expanded repertoires that were still limited bylicensing and accounting requirements, download speeds, etc.

The assignee has recently discovered that the conventional wisdom nolonger is entirely accurate and that the underlying assumptions aresomewhat flawed. For example, the assignee has recently discovered thatproviding more and more media offerings is not necessarily desirable inall instances. This discovery is based, in part, on the assignees'recognition that providing more and more offerings means providing moreand more opportunities for patrons to play music that is inconsistentwith the authenticity or identity of a location. For instance, theauthenticity and identity of a “biker bar” can be severely undermined ifa patron were to play what could be considered pop or “teeny-bopper”music, just as a country line dancing venue might have its authenticityand identity undermined if hip hop and rhythm and blues songs wereplayed. The assignee has from time to time experienced difficultiesproviding jukeboxes in locations for these vary reasons. Surprisinglyand unexpectedly, the assignee's experiences provide evidence that theability to selectively “filter” music by excluding songs, genres, and/orthe like often is seen as an unacceptable, incomplete, and/or otherwiseundesirable to proprietors of locations.

Apart from or in addition to the actual media being played, the assigneehas also discovered that the physical appearance of the utilitarianjukebox is sometimes undesirable. Indeed, the assignee has discoveredthat the physical appearance of a jukebox or jukebox terminal can beundesirable simply because the device itself looks like a jukebox (e.g.,has a payment acceptor, a touch screen display that selectively operatesin an “attract mode,” includes flashing and/or otherwise changing neonlights, etc.). In a perhaps related matter, the assignee has discoveredthat the content displayed on a jukebox or jukebox terminal also may beconsidered undesirable. As above, the physical appearance of the jukeboxdevice and/or content displayed on the jukebox device may threaten toundermine the authenticity or identity of a location. As a perhaps moreconcrete example, it has been observed by the assignee that so-called“ultralounges” typically react negatively towards the visual appearancesof conventional jukeboxes. As another example, the assignee hasdiscovered that the “wrong” types of advertisements and/or media may bedisplayed at a given location as, for example, ultraloungesstereotypically find it more desirable and “authentic” to displayattractive men and women wearing fashionable clothing and accessories ascompared to album art, concert advertisements, etc.

Still another discovery that the assignee has made is that theconventional ways that people typically discover music (including songs,artists, etc.) are becoming outmoded. In addition to, or rather than,watching a music television station such as MTV or the like, listeningto the radio, or paying attention to advertisements, potential patronsare discovering music in new and different ways. User interfaces thatenable patrons to browse or search for music on a jukebox devicetypically enable browsing and/or searching based on artist name, songname, album, and/or the like. But such techniques do not necessarilyresult in the patron being exposed to new or different music and isstill another conventional technique for music discovery. The assigneehas realized that today's potential patrons oftentimes are moreinterested in music discovered through non-traditional social networkingoutlets and/or through pure “buzz” generated on the Internet or throughsuch social networking outlets.

Given the above discoveries and realizations, it will be appreciatedthat further improvements to jukebox devices can be made. It also willbe appreciated that some or all of such improvements are contrary toaccepted wisdom and/or industry-standard practice. For instance,providing more limited media selections probably would be seen as a“step back” when viewed through the lens of conventional thinking,whereas the assignee has realized that it actually may be consideredmore desirable by some to provide a more limited selection whenattempting to preserve the authenticity and/or identity of a location.As another example, jukebox devices conventionally have been viewed ashaving one of several “classic designs” and digital jukebox devices havebeen designed to be “updates” to such classic designs, whereas theassignee has realized that jukeboxes are perhaps not as utilitarian orubiquitous as they have been viewed. Still further, it will beappreciated that conventional browsing and/or searching techniques maybe updated and/or replaced, e.g., to reflect newer ways that potentialpatrons discover and experience music.

In general, certain exemplary embodiments relate to the inclusion ofinnovative user interfaces that help immerse the user in an interactivejukebox world where user interface elements help provide formulti-dimensional interaction with collections of instances of media,synchronized external and/or internal lightshow feedback and/orprojection, play queue reveal and/or manipulation, blurring/focusing ofelements, synchronized lyrics display, etc. Certain exemplaryembodiments described herein also include cameras and/or LEDs that mayhelp, for example, enable artist and/or patron likenesses to be used orincorporated into jukebox interfaces, cameras to be leveraged in attractor flight modes or to serve as mirrors, lighting elements to be used ascamera flashes, LEDs to simulate tactile feedback for touch screendisplays or patron welcome display messages, provide a jukebox-basedsecurity system, apply contextual ads, etc. Adaptive auto-completesearch recommendations may be provided in certain exemplary embodiments,as may set lists and/or enhanced collection type browsing.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, jukebox devices with suchuser interfaces, and/or systems with such jukebox devices are provided.Similarly, according to certain exemplary embodiments, non-transitorycomputer readable storage mediums tangibly store programs that, whenexecuted, implement the methods described herein. Methods ofcontrolling/operating such jukeboxes, jukebox systems, etc., also arecontemplated herein, as are methods of making same.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a digital jukebox device is provided.The jukebox includes a display. Processing resources of the jukeboxinclude at least one processor and a memory, with the processingresources being configured to control the digital jukebox device topresent, in connection with the display, a user interface. The userinterface includes separate screens that are selectively presentable inresponse to user manipulations of the user interface, and the screensare divided into a set of standard interface screens and a set ofsimplified interface screens. The user interface is programmed to enablesongs to be selected and played back at a venue on a pay-for-play basis.A first one of the standard interface screens is a home screen. The homescreen includes a plurality of user-operable control elements arrangedalong a first axis, at least a first one of these user-operable controlelements being selectable to initiate display of a search screen, atleast a second one of these user-operable control elements beingselectable to initiate display of a curated list of songs and/or artistsvia a first selection screen, and at least a third one of theseuser-operable control elements being selectable to initiate display of acurated list of curated lists of songs via a second selection screen; aplurality of user-selectable song objects arrangeable along a secondaxis, the second axis being generally perpendicular to the first axis; aplurality of user-selectable song list objects arrangeable along a thirdaxis, the third axis being generally parallel to the second axis; and astatus area extending along a peripheral edge of the home screen. Thesearch screen, first selection screen, and second selection screencorrespond to different respective standard interface screens.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the status area may includean indication of a song being currently played by the jukebox, as wellas an indication of a number of credits available on or via the digitaljukebox device.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the status area may beincluded in each screen of the user interface in a first position thatis common across all of the screens.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, some or all of the standardinterface screens may include the user-operable control elements of thehome screen in a second position that is common across all such screens,and/or the simplified interface screens may lack the user-operablecontrol elements of the home screen.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, at least some of thesimplified interface screens may be usable in confirming song selectionand credit subtraction operations just prior to enqueueing selectedsong(s) in a queue maintained by the digital jukebox device and fromwhich songs are played.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, only a partial subset of theplurality of user-selectable song objects may be visible along thesecond axis at one time, and/or only a partial subset of the pluralityof user-selectable song list objects may be visible along the third axisat one time. For instance, the partial subset of the plurality ofuser-selectable song objects that is visible may be changeable independence on a user panning operation performed with respect to thesecond axis, and/or the partial subset of the plurality ofuser-selectable song list objects that is visible may be changeable independence on a user panning operation performed with respect to thethird axis.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the home screen may furtherinclude a listing of song objects representing songs that are popularacross an entertainment network, this listing of song objects beingprovided along a fourth axis that is generally parallel to the secondaxis. For instance, the jukebox may further include a network connectionover which data specifying members of the listing of song objectsrepresenting songs that are popular across the entertainment network iselectronically retrievable. The fourth axis may be made visible on thehome screen only if at least one of the second and third axes is madeinvisible (e.g., only after a user panning operation is performed alonga direction generally perpendicular to the second axis).

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the home screen may furtherinclude a generally linear arrangement of icons that respectivelyrepresent user-activatable services (e.g., games, karaoke, photo booth,and/or other services) provided by the digital jukebox device, at leastsome of the services being not directly music related.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the first selection screenmay include the plurality of user-operable control elements and thecurated list of songs and/or artists; and the curated list of songsand/or artists may be displayable in the first selection screen in auser-specifiable format, with the user-specifiable format being one of atile format and a list format. For instance, the curated list of songsand/or artists may be displayable in the first selection screen in auser-specifiable order, the user-specifiable order being one of analphabetical order and a popularity order.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the second selection screenmay include a plurality of user-selectable options that down-select thecurated list of curated lists of songs in accordance with a visuallycue. For instance, user-selectable options may be provided fordown-selecting based on collection of promoted songs, genre, andpredefined playlist.

According to certain exemplary embodiments, the second selection screenmay be programmed to initiate display of a modified version of the firstselection screen in response to user selection of one of curated listsof songs displayed therein, with the modified version of the firstselection screen including only those song and/or artist optionsassociated with the selected curated list.

The exemplary embodiments, aspects, and advantages disclosed herein maybe provided in any suitable combination or sub-combination to achieveyet further exemplary embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the instantinvention will be further understood by review of the following detaileddescription of the exemplary embodiments when read in conjunction withthe appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional downloading digital jukeboxsystem;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of an improvedjukebox system 10′;

FIG. 3 is an example “home screen” that may be used in connection withcertain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 4 is an example search screen that may be used in connection withcertain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 5 is an example screen shot of certain artist search results whenthe FIG. 4 search screen is used;

FIG. 6 is another example screen shot of certain artist search resultswhen the FIG. 4 search screen is used;

FIG. 7 is an example screen shot of certain album search results whenthe FIG. 4 search screen is used;

FIG. 8 is an example screen shot of certain album search results whenthe FIG. 4 search screen is used;

FIG. 9 is an example “top plays” screen that may be used in connectionwith certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 10 is another example “top plays” screen that may be used inconnection with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 11 is an example “discover” screen that may be used in connectionwith certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 12 is an example “new artists” screen that may be selected from theexample “discover” screen of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an example “new albums” screen that may be selected from theexample “discover” screen of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is another example “new albums” screen that may be selected fromthe example “discover” screen of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is another view of the example “discover” screen of FIG. 11 thatmay be used in connection with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 16 is another view of the example “discover” screen of FIG. 11 thatmay be used in connection with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 17 is an example “song listing page” for a selected artist, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 18 is an example “album listing page” for a selected artist, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 19 is an example detailed screen for an album selected from theexample “album listing page” of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an example “play screen” in accordance with certain exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 21 is another example “play screen” in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 22 is another example “play screen” in accordance with certainexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 23 is still another example “play screen” in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 24 is an example myTouchTunes login screen in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplaryembodiment of an improved jukebox system 10′. The jukebox system 10′includes similar elements as shown in FIG. 1 and described above,including a central server 12, communications network 14, and remotejukebox devices 16, 16 a-16 f. However, the jukebox system 10′ furtherincludes local servers 22, 22 a-22 f respectively connected to each ofthe jukebox devices 16, 16 a-16 f. The central server 12 includes amaster library of songs (and/or other content). Each of the jukeboxdevices includes a subset of the master library on a local storagedevice of the jukebox. The central server may be used to individuallymanage the contents of the jukebox device, by monitoring usage of andupdating the subset of songs on each of the jukebox devices with theintent of maximizing the usage thereof. The central server 12periodically receives data from each of the jukeboxes for the purpose ofroyalty accounting and payment for songs played. The jukebox devices mayconnect to the network in any suitable manner, such as dial-up modem orbroadband modem (e.g., DSL, cable, wireless broadband, or satellite).The communications network 14 may be any suitable network capable ofdistributing data (e.g., audiovisual data) from the central server 12 tothe jukeboxes 16 and enabling data to be uploaded from the jukeboxes 16to the central server 12.

The songs (and/or other data) may be digitized, compressed and encryptedby the central server 12 prior to sending songs to the jukeboxes forsecurity and bandwidth purposes using known techniques. The songs arethen decompressed and decrypted by the jukeboxes for storage andreproduction thereon. Thus, each of the jukeboxes maintains in adatabase a library of digitized songs for play on the jukebox, whereinthe library can be changed or updated through communication by thecentral server. The jukeboxes may also receive and store dataconstituting images (e.g., still and/or moving video and/or graphicalimages) that can be displayed on the display 18 of the jukebox device16. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the jukebox deviceshave similar structure and operation described in U.S. Pat. No.6,308,204 referenced above. Thus, the jukebox devices 16 each mayinclude one or more microprocessors, such as a main CPU and an audioDSP, a memory, such as a hard drive, for storing songs and/or othercontent, a display of displaying visual items, an audio arrangement 20for providing audio, a communication system for enabling the jukebox tocommunicate with the central server 12 through the communicationsnetwork 14, and operating software, including a multitasking operatingsystem, that controls the operation of the jukebox. The operatingsoftware also may be updateable through communication with the centralserver 12 as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,204referenced above. The jukeboxes 16 further include one or more paymentdevices, such as coin, bill and/or credit card input devices, forenabling a customer to pay for usage of the jukebox device in aconvenient manner. The screen 18 may be a touch screen that enables theuser to input selections by touching the screen.

In certain exemplary embodiments, a catalog of music may store songs andmetadata associated with the songs. The metadata may include basicinformation for each song such as, for example, song name, artist,album(s) on which the respective song can be found, genre(s) to whichthe respective song belong(s), beats per minute, subjective moodclassifications, etc. Songs may be grouped into playlists, which may beordered or unordered collections of music in certain exemplaryembodiments. The playlists may have names, descriptions, etc., and thecontents of the playlists may be identified, e.g., as pointers to songfiles and/or the like. Such song, playlist, and/or other relatedinformation may be stored in table structures and/or the like.

Each jukebox device has, in one embodiment, a local server 22 that canbe accessed by the jukebox device. The local servers are respectivelyconnected to the jukebox devices using Ethernet or other type of localconnection. In another embodiment, the local server may simply be alogical extension (e.g. partition, directory, or area) of the jukebox'shard drive, rather than a separate hardware device. The local servers 22may each include a mirror copy of the master library of musicalrecordings maintained by the central server 12. The local server 22 canbe loaded with the master library by the entity that owns and/orcontrols the jukebox network prior to shipping the local server andjukebox device to the jukebox distributor or operator. Of course, overtime, the local sever will no longer correspond identically to thecentral server, due to the fact that the central server may becontinually updated with additional or new songs. Thus, the localservers 22 also may be updated periodically to maintain a correspondencewith the library on the central server 12. This updating can be done,for example, by the central server 12 through communication with thejukebox devices connected with the local servers 22 using, for example,either dial-up or broadband modems. Alternatively, the updating can bedone personally with an update tool that can be connected by a routemanor other person directly to the jukebox or local server for the purposeof updating the contents of the local server. The portable tool couldinclude a removable storage medium, such as a hard drive, that could bereturned to and reused by the owner of the jukebox system for futureupdates. The tool itself could be kept by the operator or other personin charge of maintaining specific jukeboxes for use upon receipt of theupdated removable storage medium from the owner of the jukebox system.

For security reasons, the local server 22 may not include all of thedigital data that constitutes any one song that is stored on the localserver 22. In addition, the part of the song that is on the local serveris encrypted. The jukebox device 16 contains the missing part of each ofthe songs on the local server, thereby enabling the jukebox to assemblethe complete song based on the contents of the local server and thememory on the jukebox device. The missing data located on the jukebox isneeded in order to decrypt the songs. For example, a single block (orother small fraction) of data for each song may be missing on the localserver but present on the jukebox device, and the encryption may bebased on the missing block and may proceed on a block by block basis.Thus, none of the blocks can be decrypted without obtaining and/ordecrypting a preceding block. This feature provides significant securityand prevents or deters theft or other type of unauthorized use orcopying of the songs on the local server. Thus, in this embodiment, eachlocal server must be specifically assigned to a specific jukebox deviceso that the decryption described above can be properly performed.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the local servers may alsoeach be individually registered with and identified to the centralserver 12, so that the central server can individually manage andmonitor each local server. The same is true for the jukebox deviceitself, i.e., it may also be registered with the central server so thatit too can be individually monitored and managed by the central server.As will be understood from the foregoing description, the local serversbecome an important and advantageous part of the jukebox system byallowing the contents thereof to be accessed by the jukebox device toprovide additional services (such as providing additional songs) notavailable on the jukebox device itself. As will be explained below, thesong library of the central server and/or the storage capacity itselfcan be advantageously used to provide services to other jukeboxes, suchas fee-based residential and commercial jukeboxes and/or other fee-basedequipment. One use of the local servers may be to provide an immediatesong downloading feature.

Certain exemplary embodiments include a new user interface for exploringand browsing media content, e.g., using a touch-screen. Certainexemplary embodiments obtain a location, a direction, and/or a speed ofa sensed touch. This information may be used, in turn, to help navigateamong objects in the space provided on the display screen.

In this vein, the space is the general presentation area on which allgraphic elements are presented. Collections generally refer to logicalcollections of media and may be subject to preferential filtering, e.g.,to present and make available only media that satisfies criteria fordifferent levels of actors and/or based on different selections. Theymay sometimes be represented by graphic images. Objects generally referto songs, artists, playlists, games, or media sources that arerepresented in a sequence from a central catalog. Objects that arepresented may sometimes be thought of as being subject to a matchbetween the user or locations preferences and the attributes of theobject was being browsed. As described in certain of assignee'sco-pending applications (which are referenced above), an authenticationmechanism may be provided to, among other things, identify the user andprovide security credential authorization.

An example user interface will now be described in connection with theexample screenshots provided in FIGS. 3-24. FIG. 3 is an example “homescreen” that may be used in connection with certain exemplaryembodiments. The example home screen shown in FIG. 3 includes a group offour main navigation elements. These elements are element 302 a-302 d,which respectively enable a user to navigate to the home screen,initiate a search, access “top plays,” and “discover” music in a new andintuitive manner. Because the user currently is on the home screen, thefirst, home element 302 a is highlighted as being active. The featuresassociated with the other elements 302 b-302 d will be described ingreater detail below. It will be appreciated that these main navigationelements 302 a-302 d may in certain exemplary embodiments be carriedthrough the various screens to provide a consistent look and feel forthe user, and to enable easy navigation among these common, highlightedfeatures.

Additional information may be provided along the left side of the screenunder these main navigation elements 302 b-302 d that may be carriedover into some or all of the other views. For example, an icon 304 mayprovide instructions for how to download a software application (an“app”) to a mobile device (such as a smart phone, tablet, phablet, orthe like), e.g., that enables the user to at least partially control thejukebox. Such features may, for example, enable a user to order songs,purchase credits, etc. Additional information about the provider of thejukebox may be accessed by pressing the about button 306. A screen withlegal information (e.g., copyright, patent, and/or other information)may then be displayed. Promotional items also may be shown in this area.

In the FIG. 3 example, a “Tweet for Tunes promotional icon 308 isdisplayed. This particular promotion ties into an external socialnetworking site (in this example case, Twitter), and enables aregistered jukebox user who also has an account with the external socialnetworking site to announce (in this example case, Tweet) songs that theregistered jukebox user is listening to via the jukebox. It also maysimulate the functionality of the similar app and, for instance, enableusers to search through songs other users have announced. Of course, itwill be appreciated that other promotions may have logos provided hereor elsewhere, and they may or may not tie into external socialnetworking sites in different examples.

Similar to the leftmost pane with the main navigation elements 302 b-302d, etc., an upper status bar provides information that may be carriedthrough the various screens to provide the user with information thatmay be of assistance in making selections and/or of general interest,regardless of which feature is active or is being activated. Forinstance, the upper bar includes a “now playing” indication 310, whichin this example identifies the song name, the artist or group thatperforms the song, and album or other artwork associated with the song.A credits indicator 312 also may indicate how many credits have beeninserted into the jukebox and can be used for playback, karaoke, photobooth, song purchasing, and/or other purposes. Information about howmuch money credits cost also is provided in this example layout. Otherinformation that could be helpful to a user regardless of the part ofthe user interface the user is accessing may be provided in this upperstatus bar. For example, a login button (e.g., that enables a jukeboxuser to sign into the jukebox via a jukebox-specific username/passwordcombination, using a single-sign on or SSO login operation in connectionwith an external social networking site account such as Facebook,Twitter, or the like, via an email account login, etc.), languageselection button, help button (e.g., that triggers context sensitivehelp that may in some cases be customized based on the particular screenbeing displayed, for instance), etc., can be provided here or elsewhere.

At the bottom of the screen, a featured jukebox-related advertisementmay be displayed. In the FIG. 3 example, a leader board typeadvertisement is provided, highlighting the “ultimate jukebox classics”playlist. This playlist (like some or all of the other playlistsdescribed below) may be a custom-curated collection of songs that areavailable for playback. This particular playlist may include popularjukebox songs like Journey's “Don't Stop Believin',” Joan Jett's “I LoveRock and Roll,” Neil Diamond's “Sweet Caroline,” etc., e.g., as selectedby a group of marketing and/or music professionals. This leader boardtype advertisement may be carried through various screens with apriority lower than that of main navigation elements 302 b-302 d and/orthe upper status bar. In other words, this leader board typeadvertisement may be carried through various screens, unless additionalspace is needed, in which case it may be removed to make room foradditional content, etc. The same may be true of the main navigationelements 302 b-302 d and/or the upper status bar, but they may beremoved only if the initial removal of the lower leader board typeadvertisement is insufficient to provide enough room for the additionalcontent, etc., at least in certain exemplary embodiments.

The main content area of the FIG. 3 example screenshot is bounded by theupper status bar, the lower leader board type advertisement, and themain navigation elements 302 b-302 d. This main content area may includeseveral sections, e.g., defined by successive rows. The first rowincludes a featured jukebox-related advertisement 316. Thejukebox-related advertisement 316 in this example pertains to a newalbum and includes promotional artwork related to the same which, inthis instance, includes a picture of Kid Rock, his name, and a stylizedversion of the name of the new album being promoted. It will of coursebe appreciated that other jukebox-related advertisements may beprovided, e.g., advertising artists, songs, labels, events, etc.Although certain advertisements are described as being jukebox-relatedadvertisements (e.g., because they pertain to music that is playable onthe jukebox, for example), non jukebox related advertisements mayadditionally or alternatively be provided in certain exemplaryembodiments, e.g., in the section 316 or elsewhere.

The advertisement 316 may be a promotional advertisement selected by agroup of marketing and/or music professionals. It may have an associatedad campaign defined by this group. The ad campaign may specify, forexample, that the particular ad is to be run at certain times of days,certain days of the week, for a predefined length of time, until removedor replaced by something else, etc. For instance, a new album may bepromoted for a predefined amount of time leading up to its release, anda predefined amount of time following its release. A concert similarlymay be promoted for a predefined amount of time leading up to the showdate and/or time. The ad campaign parameters may be specified using aremote user interface, and such parameters (as well as advertising mediasuch as image files, movie files, custom animation scripts, and/or thelike) may be stored to a non-transitory computer readable medium on orconnected to the central server 12 or elsewhere. The individualjukeboxes may periodically retrieve the information, store it locally toa local hard drive or the like, and cause it to be displayed (e.g.,under the control of its local processors, and/or the like). In othercases, the individual jukeboxes may simply include this information byreference (e.g., so that network operations incorporate such informationinto the display by reference).

A second row 318 includes elements corresponding to different playlists.As indicated above, these playlists may be custom-curated in certainexemplary embodiments. The example playlists shown in FIG. 3 includefavorites, disco songs, and “hot hits.” In certain exemplaryembodiments, user-generated playlists may be provided in place of, or inaddition to, these custom-curated playlists. A user may select aplaylist by pressing it, and this may transition to a screen describedbelow. A user may also press and pan to the left or right, e.g., toaccess additional playlists. Genre-based playlists, which may or may notbe commensurate in scope of all of the media tagged or otherwiseidentified as belonging to a corresponding genre, may be included here,as well.

The third row 320 includes elements corresponding to individual songs.These songs are designated as “top plays.” They may in certain exemplaryembodiments be preselected items, e.g., to promote a certain band,album, label, upcoming events, etc. In certain exemplary embodiments,top plays at an individual location; across locations, e.g., serviced bya single operator, owned by a single party, within a predeterminedproximity or grouping of localities, etc.; throughout the entire jukeboxnetwork; and/or the like, may be provided in this area. In certainexemplary embodiments, this information may be based on anindustry-standard or other chart such as, for example, the Billboard Hot100, Billboard genre charts, etc. As above, a user may also press andpan to the left or right, e.g., to access additional songs. The songsmay be ordered based on actual or perceived popularity in someinstances. In other instances, the songs may be ordered in a specifiedorder that corresponds to the desire to promote the songs, e.g., suchthat more highly promoted songs appear towards the beginning of the listand lesser promoted songs appears lower on the list. It will beappreciated that such orders may be modified to keep similar songsfairly close together, e.g., to present a coherent spectrum of musicthat transitions in a logical or at least understandable manner fromsong-to-song (e.g., based on beats per minute, overlapping genres,similar subjective sounds of artists, etc.). In other cases, randomorders may be used.

A user may also press and pan up to access further row-oriented content.For example, additional advertisements, groupings of songs,jukebox-related services (e.g., such as karaoke, photo boothfunctionality, games, etc.), and/or the like may be made visible andaccessible. In certain exemplary embodiments, a real-time orsubstantially real-time “playing now” stream of songs being playedacross the network may be provided, e.g., in a row. The central serveror other unit may, for example, receive data from individual jukeboxdevices in the network regarding plays. That play information may beused to keep tallies of the songs being requested over all time, withina configurable fixed or sliding window (e.g., of 5 minutes, 10 minutes,15 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, etc.), and/or in some other way. In certainexemplary embodiments, this information may be presented as a WallStreet like ticker, e.g., showing the top 40 or other number of songsmoving up and down, e.g., based on network data gathered in real-time orsubstantially in real-time. The movement may be based on changes fromwindow-to-window, and simple up and down arrows (which optionally may becolor coded green and red, or otherwise) may be used to convey movement.In other cases, the amount of movement may be noted, e.g., with a plusor minus sign, optionally together with or in place of a number ofspots, and/or the like.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the songs displayed on the main screenmay be grouped based on the number of credits that they cost. Forinstance, the user may be able to choose to see only songs that cost1-credit, songs that cost 1- or 2-credits, etc. In certain exemplaryembodiments, the default display may include songs that cost 1- or2-credits, but this may be updated based on user selection.

Although certain exemplary embodiments have been described as includingmore or less “fixed” elements at the top, left, and bottom of thescreen, other arrangements may be provided for such information. Thearrangement shown in FIG. 3 and discussed above works well for English-and other-language localities, e.g., because a user tends to focus onthe main content provided in the approximate vertical center of thescreen and to the right (e.g., because many languages are written fromleft-to-right and top-to-bottom). However, other language localities maymove these fixed elements around on the screen and/or relative to oneanother. For instance, for Hebrew-language localities, the mainnavigation elements 302 a-302 d may be moved to the right of the screen,e.g., because the language is written from right-to-left andtop-to-bottom. For Asian languages, where a column-based approach may bemore appropriate based on writing styles, etc., a 90 degree rotation ofthe basic elements shown in FIG. 3 may be in order.

FIG. 4 is an example search screen that may be used in connection withcertain exemplary embodiments. The FIG. 4 example screen may bedisplayed when an initial search is requested, e.g., before any searchcriteria is entered by the user. In addition to including the mainnavigation elements 302 a-302 d (with the search element 302 b beinghighlighted to indicate its selection), the upper status bar may stillbe provided. This upper area may be expanded to make room for additionalcontrol elements, such as, for example, breadcrumbs that show a “path”of user selections through the jukebox interface, the back button 402(which may in certain exemplary embodiments return the user to the homescreen of FIG. 3, the immediately prior selected screen regardless ofwhether it was the home screen, etc.), and/or the like. However, to makeroom for the additional content items, the lower leader board typeadvertisement is removed.

Referring to the main content area, before user entry is received, oneor more sponsored or other ads 404 may be provided. The ads may beselected at random, in accordance with a predefined ad campaign, inresponse to information known about a logged in user, as somethingrelated to the song currently being played, and/or based on othercriteria. The ad 404 may include active links that enable a user toaccess further content related to the ad, e.g., by pressing on it. Forinstance, the ad may open a web browser or the like, e.g., withadditional content such as, for example, QR codes that can be scanned toaccess discounts redeemable at a location at a later time, maps of thestores, games, and/or the like. Such additional content may nonethelessbe presented within the context of the jukebox ecosystem, e.g., suchthat the control elements are provided at the top and bottom (and/orother locations of the screen), so that the user still feels connectedto the home jukebox environment.

The user may use the keyboard 406 to provide input to the search engine.The entered characters may be displayed in the text entry area 408. Ifno characters are entered, then the text entry area 408 may simplyindicate the selected portion of the catalog that is to be searched.However, to indicate that this is explanatory text (rather than enteredtext), the indication may be provided in a comparatively lighter color,lower line weight, in italics, etc.

The portion of the catalog to be searched may be specified by selectingone of the control elements 410 a-410 c which, as shown in the FIG. 4example, enable the user to specify that artists, albums, and/or songsshould be searched. The artists control element 410 a is selected andtherefore is highlighted in the FIG. 4 example and, because no user datahas been provided by the keyboard 406, the text entry area 408 alsoreflects this selection. It will be appreciated that the song search maysearch song titles and/or lyrics in certain exemplary embodiments. Incertain exemplary embodiments, artists, albums, and song titles and/orlyrics may all be searched regardless of which one of the controlelements 410 a-410 c is selected. However, in at least some such cases,results will be ordered (or at least partially ordered) so that resultsbelonging to the selected element appear first. For instance, if controlelement 410 c is selected to initiate a song search with the term “Red,”results indicative of Taylor Swift's song “Red” and Chris De Burgh'ssong “Lady in Red” may appear before results indicative of TaylorSwift's album “Red”, the artist the Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. TheRolling Stones song “Paint it Black” includes the lyrics “I see a reddoor/and I want it painted black” and it therefore may be included inthe results list. However, because the entries discussed above havestronger associations with the word “red”, they may appear first.

FIG. 5 is an example screen shot of certain artist search results whenthe FIG. 4 search screen is used. As shown in FIG. 5, the user enteredthe text “ZXY321” as an artist search in the text entry area 408. Nomatching artists were found, and a like indication is provided in thesearch result summary area 502. The list-based search result list 504itself is blank. In certain exemplary embodiments, the search resultslists 504 and the search result summary area 502 may be updated inreal-time, e.g., as the user enters additional characters.

FIG. 6 is another example screen shot of certain artist search resultswhen the FIG. 4 search screen is used. As shown in FIG. 6, the userentered the text “AC” as an artist search in the text entry area 408.The search result summary area 502 indicates that 200 artists werefound, and the list-based search result list 504 includes the matchingentries. Optionally, the number of songs associated with each matchingentry may be provided in the search result list 504. The up and downarrows 506 a and 506 b may be used to navigate through the list, or theuser may simply scroll the list up and down, e.g., by moving his/herfinger accordingly.

As alluded to above, the search results lists may be ordered byproximity to the match in certain exemplary embodiments. Of the resultsshown, “AC/DC” is the best match and thus is listed first. “Adele” islisted second, because “AC” and “AD” are close to one another, bothalphabetically and on the keyboard. This may help to addressdifficulties that are sometimes encountered when using a touch screenkeyboard and/or other like interface. Similarity searching may beprovided, e.g., so that strings containing the search text are retrieved(for example, “Alan Jackson” contains “AC”), so that inadvertentmisspellings can sometimes retrieve relevant results, etc.

FIG. 7 is an example screen shot of certain album search results whenthe FIG. 4 search screen is used. As shown in FIG. 7, the user enteredthe text “AL” as an album search in the text entry area 408. The searchresult summary area 502 indicates that 165 albums were found, and thelist-based search result list 504 includes the matching entries.Optionally, additional information may be provided together with thealbums, e.g., in columnar format. For instance, the artist name islisted, as are other items of note. The other items of note mayindicate, for example, whether there is a clean or explicit version ofan album available, whether the album has been flagged as being new(e.g., newly added to the jukebox network within a predetermined timeperiod such as a week, a month, or other period, newly released with thesame or similar time period, etc.). Other information of interest mayinclude an indication of how many songs are included in each album, ametric of how popular the albums are, etc. In certain exemplaryembodiments, albums may be sorted based on the information provided inthe search result list 504.

FIG. 8 is an example screen shot of certain album search results whenthe FIG. 4 search screen is used. As shown in FIG. 8, the user enteredthe text “SU” as a song search in the text entry area 408. The searchresult summary area 502 indicates that 520 songs were found, and thelist-based search result list 504 includes the matching entries.Optionally, additional information may be provided together with thesongs, similar to as described above. The credits needed to play eachsong are, for example, displayed together with the artist name and otheritems of note (e.g., clean vs. explicit versions of the songs, newflags, etc.).

FIG. 9 is an example “top plays” screen that may be used in connectionwith certain exemplary embodiments. The entries in the top plays listmay be generated in any suitable way. For instance, as described above,in certain exemplary embodiments, a real-time or substantially real-timestream of songs being played across the network may be provided. Thecentral server or other unit may, for example, receive data fromindividual jukebox devices in the network regarding song and/or albumplays. That play information may be used to keep tallies of the songsand/or albums being requested over all time, within a configurablesliding window (e.g., of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, 1day, etc.), and/or in some other way. That list may be generated and/orretrieved periodically (e.g., to match updates), daily/nightly, or atsome other regular or irregular interval. It also may be generatedand/or retrieved dynamically, e.g., when the top plays element 302 c isselected. In certain exemplary embodiments, industry-standard and/orother charts may be used to provide such information.

Top play information may be presented in list form, e.g., using the list902. A user may navigate the list using the up and down controlelements, by pressing and moving up or down on the list 902 itself, orby using the scrubber bar 904. The user may jump to an arbitraryposition, e.g., by pressing a location on the scrubber bar 904, with thetopmost portion being location 1 and the bottommost portion representingthe end of the list. The current position may be identified, e.g., usingscrubber bar position indicator 906.

As will be appreciated from FIG. 9, a user may select top plays in termsof albums or songs, and may sort the resulting top plays byalphabetically or by popularity (e.g., as a primary sort criterion)using catalog selectors 908 a-908 b and sort selectors 910 a-910 b,respectively. Depending on such selections, the list 902 may includesome or all of the additional information described above and/or otherinformation.

It also will be appreciated from FIG. 9 that a list view may beprovided. However, using layout selectors 912 a-912 b, a user mayreorient the items in a grid view. In this regard, FIG. 10 is anotherexample “top plays” screen that may be used in connection with certainexemplary embodiments, e.g., that incorporates a grid view. Thegrid-based list 902′ includes the same information as shown in the list902, but the data is rearranged to make it more visually appealing.Navigation through the grid may be provided in manners similar to asdescribed above. It will be appreciated from the FIG. 10 example thatsongs have been selected for ordering in alphabetical order using sortselectors 910 a. This selection replaces the numerical scrubber bar 904and the numerical scrubber bar position indicator 906 with analphabetical scrubber bar 904′ and an alphabetical scrubber bar positionindicator 906′, as is perhaps more appropriate for such an ordering.

FIG. 11 is an example “discover” screen that may be used in connectionwith certain exemplary embodiments. The discover screen enables users toselect whether categorized sets of songs should be browsed by groups ofnew and hot music, genres, or playlists, e.g., using the discoverymechanism selectors 1102 a-1102 c. Because the “new and hot” discoverymechanism selector 1102 a is actuated, the categorized sets of songs inthe content area 1104 reflect new artists, new albums, new songs, hothits across genres, and hits within genres. Additional categorized setsof songs may be navigated to using the navigation techniques set forthin detail above. The entries within each category may be based on, forexample, actual jukebox and/or jukebox network play, curated sets ofmusic, user-generated content in the form of musical playlists, etc.

FIG. 12 is an example “new artists” screen that may be selected from theexample “discover” screen of FIG. 11. The example FIG. 12 screen issimilar to the FIG. 9 example screen, e.g., in that a list 1202 isprovided with artist entries. Additional information (e.g., album art,clean vs. explicit lyrics flags, number of songs, etc.) may be provided.A scrubber bar 1204 with a scrubber bar position indicator 1206 may beused to help navigate the entries, e.g., together with the othernavigation techniques described above. A user may switch between listand table views, e.g., using layout selectors 1208 a-1208 b. Althoughnot shown in FIG. 12, options for reordering the artists alphabeticallymay be provided.

FIG. 13 is an example “new albums” screen that may be selected from theexample “discover” screen of FIG. 11. FIG. 13 also is similar to theFIG. 9 example screen and the same, similar, or different user interfaceelements may be provided, e.g., for navigating, reordering, and/orotherwise adjusting the entries, etc. Likewise, FIG. 14 is anotherexample “new albums” screen that may be selected from the example“discover” screen of FIG. 11 also is similar to the FIG. 9 examplescreen and the same, similar, or different user interface elements maybe provided, e.g., for navigating, reordering, and/or otherwiseadjusting the entries, etc. However, a song popularity ordering may beprovided in connection with an alphabetical scrubber bar.

FIGS. 15-16 are further views of the example “discover” screen of FIG.11 that may be used in connection with certain exemplary embodiments.FIG. 15 includes categorized sets of songs in the content area 1104′organized by genres, and FIG. 16 includes categorized sets of songs inthe content area 1104″ organized by playlists. In the FIG. 15 example,each genre may open a list of all songs tagged or otherwise identifiedas belonging to a particular genre, a predetermined number of the mostpopular songs within a given genre, a curated list of songs within agiven genre, etc.

FIG. 17 is an example “song listing page” for a selected artist, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. The FIG. 17 example listssongs for the artist Queen. An indication is provided that 206 songs areprovided in the catalog of available songs. As with the examples above,a song listing may be provided in list or grid view, and a user maynavigate through the returned entries in the manners set forth above.Artwork related to an album and additional information about theindividual song entries also may be provided, e.g., as described above.A user may also reorder entries alphabetically or by popularity, and mayswitch between album and song views. The FIG. 17 example screen may bereached from (for instance) the example screens shown in FIGS. 3, 6-8,10-16, and 18 (possibly through a single user interaction), e.g., if analbum, artist, playlist, collection, or other appropriate element isselected.

FIG. 18 is an example “album listing page” for a selected artist, inaccordance with certain exemplary embodiments. The FIG. 18 example listsalbums by Queen. Once again, an indication is provided that 206 songsare provided in the catalog of available songs. Alternatively, or inaddition, an indication of the available albums may be provided. Thedisplay, navigation, and other features of FIG. 18 is similar to thatdescribed above, e.g., in connection with FIG. 17. The FIG. 18 examplescreen may be reached from (for instance) the example screens shown inFIGS. 3, 6-8, 11-12, and 15-17 (possibly through a single userinteraction), e.g., if an album, artist, playlist, collection, or otherappropriate element is selected.

FIG. 19 is an example detailed screen for an album selected from theexample “album listing page” of FIG. 18. The FIG. 19 example screen maybe displayed, for instance, when a user selects an album from FIG. 18.The songs from the album are displayed, along with album art. Thenavigation, ordering, and other options described above may be availablein certain exemplary embodiments. By pressing the more informationelement 1902, a user may “zoom out” and receive listings of albumsand/or songs available from Queen.

When a song is selected, the user may be presented with a screen such asthat shown in one of FIGS. 20-23, e.g., depending on the circumstances.That is, FIGS. 20-23 show example “play screens” in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments. These play screens include album art orthe like, as well as a textual description of the song and artist name.Copyright information also may be displayed, as desirable and/or asrequired by law. These windows may be modal windows. To emphasize that aselection must be made, most or all common user interface elementscommon to the example screenshots described above may be removed. Thismay help focus the user's attention on the need to make a play decisionand/or subtly encourage the actual playing of a song. In other words,providing most or all of the “standard” user interface elementsdiscussed above may be distracting to look at, and may encourage theuser to navigate away from a play page rather than initiating an actualplay. In the FIG. 20 example, the upper status bar is shown, as thisincludes information relevant to the user (such as, for example,information about number of credits available, login options which mayhelp the user access pre-stored credits, language options, etc.). In theFIG. 20 example, a small back button is provided in a position similarto its prior position in the breadcrumb trail. This portion of theinterface thus is clean and focuses the user's attention is appropriateareas.

As shown in FIG. 20, there are no credits available. Thus, a user isprompted to insert credits for a play operation and a “play next”operation. The “play next” operation may enable the user to pay apremium in order to have the song moved up in the queue, potentially tothe next position. A user may pay an extra number of credits for anincremental queue reveal; to “lock in” a play within a certain timeperiod, number of songs, etc.; and/or the like, e.g., in certainexemplary embodiments. As indicated in FIG. 20, payment may be made viacash, credit card, debit card, and/or the like.

FIG. 21 involves a scenario in which there are 2 credits available. Inthis example, 2 credits are sufficient to play a song but areinsufficient to use the “play next” operation. Thus, a control elementis provided to enable this “normal” playback, but the payment requiredinformation from FIG. 20 is grouped with the “play next” operationindication. This arrangement may help the user understand what optionsare available with the current number of credits, and what options willrequire additional credits to become active.

FIG. 22 involves a scenario in which there are sufficient creditsavailable for “normal” song playback and “play next” operations. Thus,elements for actuating each option are provided. These elements have asimilar visual appearance, but the “play next” operation is more similarto a conventional “fast forward” type button that may be found on atape, CD, DVD, or other player. This helps to visually highlight thedifference in playback approaches.

FIG. 23 involves a scenario where a user is able to add a song to aplaylist being built. This option may be available only for registeredusers in certain exemplary embodiments. In other embodiments, it may beavailable only where users have a sufficient number of credits availableto play multiple songs, and the playlist option may enable users toguarantee that multiple songs are played in a specified order and/or thelike.

It is noted that other pay-for-play options may be represented in themanners described above and/or other similar or dissimilar manners. Forexample, options may be provided enabling a user to pay a premium totrigger song plays within a particular area or particular areas in anestablishment, across multiple establishments, etc.

FIG. 24 is an example myTouchTunes login screen in accordance withcertain exemplary embodiments. This example screen may be displayed whenthe login button on the upper status bar is pressed, for example. As canbe seen, an upper portion of the screen enables unregistered users tosign up for an account, e.g., by pressing the sign up element 2402.Already registered users may simply enter their user names and passwordsin the corresponding text input areas 2404 a and 2404 b, e.g., using thekeyboard 2406, and pressing the enter element 2408. Terms and conditionsof use and the like may be provided to a user who presses the element at2410.

Promotional codes for the jukebox, e.g., from the venue, from anoperator, from the jukebox provider, from an advertiser, and/or otherparty, may be redeemed by pressing the redeem button 2412. Thepromotional codes may entitle the user to free credits usable on thejukebox, access to otherwise hidden playlists and/or musical selections,special advertisements, custom multimedia and/or other messages; etc.The promotional codes that are entered may be checked against databaseentries stored locally, in the central server, and/or elsewhere, and thejukebox may be made to take an appropriate action based on a successfullook-up operation.

A mobile code 2414 may be generated, e.g., enabling the user to accesssite specific information concerning the jukebox, to follow-up withsubsequent registration of a new account, to enable a user to log in tothe specific jukebox by entering the code, etc.

It will be appreciated that the use cases presented herein are providedby way of example and without limitation. Other flows and use cases arepossible in connection with different exemplary embodiments,implementations, and/or uses of this invention.

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to an entertainment centercomprising a computer capable of communicating with networks, whereinsaid computer is further connected to at least one display throughstandard analog, digital, or network-addressable displays, said computerbeing operable to interact with a remote device connected to one of saidnetworks in communication with said computer, said remote device beingoperable to accept a code and transmit said code to said computer, andwherein said computer can validate against a database or against analgorithm the validity of said code and, upon positive validation, saidcomputer is configured to allocate a monetary value or a credit value tosaid remote device. The remote device may be operable to browse contentcontained on said computer and said remote device may be furtheroperable to select and pay for said content using said monetary or saidcredit value, said computer may be operable to reduce said monetary orsaid credit value upon a selection by said remote device. The code mayinstead or in addition be sent to the remote device and entered on thecomputer.

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to an out-of-home entertainmentcenter coupled with at least one Internet-based messaging system and/ora social networking site and coupled with at least one remote device,said remote device being connected to the out of home entertainmentcenter by a wired or wireless local area network or through theInternet, wherein the use of some of the entertainment center servicesby said remote device causes said entertainment center to send messagesto said at least one Internet-based messaging system. Connecting thesystem through the Internet may require a user to input a code to theremote device that uniquely identifies the entertainment center.

The present disclosure has used certain terms that should not beinterpreted as limiting the invention to a particular embodiment,hardware components and configurations, software configurations, etc.For example, many features and examples have been described in relationto their existence within a bar, pub, or other environment. However, itwill be appreciated that the features present in the exemplaryembodiments of the present invention are adaptable for use in anylocation where a jukebox (or multiple jukeboxes) may be located.Similarly, while certain features and functions are described withreference to usage by “users,” “owners,” “operators,” “patrons,” etc.,it will be appreciated that these terms are generic and may, in mostcases, be used interchangeably depending on the embodiment chosen andthe feature employed. For example, while it may be advantageous to limitthe initial song selection to owners and/or operators, in certainexemplary embodiments, patrons may play a role in the initial songselection. It will be appreciated that the term “display” includes, forexample, monitors connected to computers directly or remotely, orembedded ICs such as IP TV technology. Displays may be networkaddressable. Also, standard digital signs (LED based) also may beconsidered displays and/or may be provided as network addressabledisplays.

Although certain exemplary embodiments have been described in connectionwith out-of-home locations, it will be appreciated that the techniquesdescribed herein may be adapted for use in an in-home or personaljukebox.

Still further, particular hardware combinations and configurations aredisclosed that represent only one way which the embodiments may beconstructed. Central servers may, in some exemplary embodiments,comprise one or more servers acting together or separately to coherentlyprovide the full range of services necessary to enable a functioningjukebox. For example, a cluster of servers may comprise a virtualcentral server, with one server providing media, another trackingmembership, still another processing licensing, etc.

Similarly, the local servers described herein may be incorporated intothe jukeboxes. For example, the local servers may appear to functionindependently, even though they exist as part (e.g. partition) of anintegrated mass storage device within the jukebox. Indeed, as hard disksbecome larger and less expensive, they may preferably serve thefunctions of local servers.

Also, although the term “song” has been used sometimes in theabove-description, this term is not intended to be limiting to the scopeof the invention, and any instance or instances of media (e.g., song,video, song/video combination, data, information etc.) can be used inany embodiment herein and still fall within the intended scope of theinvention.

Lastly, it will be appreciated that the screen shots and softwarearrangements presented herein are only one exemplary method fororganizing and displaying the features disclosed herein. Otherconfigurations are possible and are therefore contemplated herein.

While the preferred aspects of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart that various changes and/or modifications can be made. Thus, thespecific description herein is meant to be exemplary only and is notintended to limit the invention beyond the terms of appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A digital jukebox device, comprising: a display;and processing resources including at least one processor and a memory,the processing resources being configured to control the digital jukeboxdevice to present, in connection with the display, a user interface, theuser interface including separate screens that are selectivelypresentable in response to user manipulations of the user interface, thescreens being divided into a set of standard interface screens and a setof simplified interface screens; wherein the user interface isprogrammed to enable songs to be selected and played back at a venue ona pay-for-play basis; wherein a first one of the standard interfacescreens is a home screen, the home screen including: a plurality ofuser-operable control elements arranged along a first axis, at least afirst one of these user-operable control elements being selectable toinitiate display of a search screen, at least a second one of theseuser-operable control elements being selectable to initiate display of acurated list of songs and/or artists via a first selection screen, andat least a third one of these user-operable control elements beingselectable to initiate display of a curated list of curated lists ofsongs via a second selection screen; a plurality of user-selectable songobjects arrangeable along a second axis, the second axis being generallyperpendicular to the first axis; a plurality of user-selectable songlist objects arrangeable along a third axis, the third axis beinggenerally parallel to the second axis; and a status area extending alonga peripheral edge of the home screen; wherein the search screen, firstselection screen, and second selection screen correspond to differentrespective standard interface screens.
 2. The digital jukebox device ofclaim 1, wherein the status area includes an indication of a song beingcurrently played by the jukebox, as well as an indication of a number ofcredits available on or via the digital jukebox device.
 3. The digitaljukebox device of claim 1, wherein the status area is included in eachscreen of the user interface in a first position that is common acrossall of the screens.
 4. The digital jukebox device of claim 3, whereinsome or all of the standard interface screens include the user-operablecontrol elements of the home screen in a second position that is commonacross all such screens.
 5. The digital jukebox device of claim 4,wherein the simplified interface screens lack the user-operable controlelements of the home screen.
 6. The digital jukebox device of claim 1,wherein the simplified interface screens lack the user-operable controlelements of the home screen.
 7. The digital jukebox device of claim 6,wherein at least some of the simplified interface screens are usable inconfirming song selection and credit subtraction operations just priorto enqueueing selected song(s) in a queue maintained by the digitaljukebox device and from which songs are played.
 8. The digital jukeboxdevice of claim 1, wherein: only a partial subset of the plurality ofuser-selectable song objects are visible along the second axis at onetime; and only a partial subset of the plurality of user-selectable songlist objects are visible along the third axis at one time.
 9. Thedigital jukebox device of claim 8, wherein: the partial subset of theplurality of user-selectable song objects that is visible is changeablein dependence on a user panning operation performed with respect to thesecond axis; and the partial subset of the plurality of user-selectablesong list objects that is visible is changeable in dependence on a userpanning operation performed with respect to the third axis.
 10. Thedigital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the home screen furtherincludes a listing of song objects representing songs that are popularacross an entertainment network, this listing of song objects beingprovided along a fourth axis that is generally parallel to the secondaxis.
 11. The digital jukebox device of claim 10, further comprising anetwork connection over which data specifying members of the listing ofsong objects representing songs that are popular across theentertainment network is electronically retrievable.
 12. The digitaljukebox device of claim 10, wherein the fourth axis is made visible onthe home screen only if at least one of the second and third axes ismade invisible.
 13. The digital jukebox device of claim 10, wherein thefourth axis is made visible on the home screen only after a user panningoperation performed along a direction generally perpendicular to thesecond axis.
 14. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein the homescreen further includes a generally linear arrangement of icons thatrespectively represent user-activatable services provided by the digitaljukebox device, at least some of the services being not directly musicrelated.
 15. The digital jukebox device of claim 1, wherein: the firstselection screen includes the plurality of user-operable controlelements and the curated list of songs and/or artists; and the curatedlist of songs and/or artists is displayable in the first selectionscreen in a user-specifiable format, the user-specifiable format beingone of a tile format and a list format.
 16. The digital jukebox deviceof claim 15, wherein the curated list of songs and/or artists isdisplayable in the first selection screen in a user-specifiable order,the user-specifiable order being one of an alphabetical order and apopularity order.
 17. The digital jukebox device of claim 15, whereinthe second selection screen includes a plurality of user-selectableoptions that down-select the curated list of curated lists of songs inaccordance with a visually cue.
 18. The digital jukebox device of claim17, wherein user-selectable options are provided for down-selectingbased on collection of promoted songs, genre, and predefined playlist.19. The digital jukebox device of claim 17, wherein the second selectionscreen is programmed to initiate display of a modified version of thefirst selection screen in response to user selection of one of curatedlists of songs displayed therein, the modified version of the firstselection screen including only those song and/or artist optionsassociated with the selected curated list.
 20. The digital jukeboxdevice of claim 1, wherein: the second selection screen includes aplurality of user-selectable options that down-select the curated listof curated lists of songs in accordance with a visually cue; and whereinthe second selection screen is programmed to initiate display of amodified version of the first selection screen in response to userselection of one of curated lists of songs displayed therein, themodified version of the first selection screen including only those songand/or artist options associated with the selected curated list.